The walk with God is not for the faint at heart. How do I know this? Well, Jesus said as much in Matthew 10:22 - You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. In addition, there's the plain fact of this all over the Bible. Think of Job, for instance. He was a man described as blameless, upright, God-fearing and righteous in Job 1:1. Yet, he experienced the sort of challenges that would make the average individual shudder at the mere thought of such happening in their own life.
And, if you don't want to take the word of Jesus for it - or the experiences of the men and women in the Bible for that matter - then take a look at your life. Since becoming a believer, has your life been all roses and fun? Or have there been some serious challenges that only God could get you out of?
Yet, we hang in there. We don't give up. We hold onto our faith and the knowledge that God is working things out for our good even if it doesn't look that way. We read His word to encourage ourselves, play music from our favorite music minister and let the tears fall. No matter what, we hold on to the God who's come through for us before, believing He will do so again. We fast, pray, and strive to live righteously, obeying His instructions as best we can.
And, when we don't do things as well as we should, we get on our knees and plead for forgiveness. We raise our hands to the Lord, convicted by the Holy Spirit placed within us, to repent. And His grace, being sufficient for us, speaks through the blood of Jesus, bringing mercy.
This is the walk of a believer in God. It's not easy and oftentimes it won't be fun. Nevertheless, we must carry on with a stubbornness that defies logic. We must be staunchly determined to never return to the days when we didn't know the word of God or His power, for then we would be in error. We must reject sin habits, day by day, and allow God to fashion us into the new creatures we became once we gave our lives to Christ and submitted wholeheartedly to Him.
And we must remember, particularly on the days when we haven't done our best, the word in Ephesians 2:22 - And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. What must we remember about this scripture? That we are being built into dwelling places for the Lord. These dwelling places - our bodies - will be inhabited by His Holy Spirit while we walk the earth. The term "being built" means we are continuously under construction for God. In His grace, He is molding us over time to suit Him. That way, we grow each day, becoming a place from which His power does great works.
Do not imagine that because you are 'under construction' there are no rules to be followed. Rules exist for a reason and in construction, then ensure worker safety and that the final product will be solid, sound and safe for its inhabitants. Similarly, observing God's rules during our construction phase ensures we are being built so God lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Paul cautioned in Ephesians 4:30 - And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. In order to not grieve the Holy Spirit, Paul instructs believers to turn away from a sinful life which he details in Ephesians 4:17-32. As long as we keep this in mind, construction shall continue and be completed for God, just the way He likes it. There is great reward here on earth and in heaven for a successful final product and these include a good relationship with the Lord, His protection and provision in all areas.
So, though the walk be long and tiring, never forget, you are being built for His glory. So is the person to your left and your right. There is therefore hope of salvation for all in the Lord as He builds us into grand residences for Him to dwell in comfortably. Glory be to His Holy Name!
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